Thanks everyone. Now. . any Gelcoat tips?

[Henry Hey]

I would like to thank everybody for their help with my foredeck crack problem. (SEE LINK BELOW)We did as many suggested and fixed it with West systems epoxy and silica filler -- both inside and out. It is pretty robust now. Recently I tried to do some small gelcoat repairs on the bow of our boat. It is not as easy as it would appear. I can't seem to get the gelcoat to set without many wrinkles from the plastic that I am covering it with. (I was told by many that I needed to do that to insure the right curing). Now I am faced with the problem of gel-coating the aforementioned fix. I would think that this is much more difficult because of the shape. Any tips?Thanks again, Henry Hey -- Montauk

 

[James]

blind leading the blind

Hello Henry, I have to say right off that I am no expert on gel coat. I did re-gel coat my entire 23 O'day with the help of a friend/expert in the field of fiberglass. I was the "worker bee" so I only learned what I had to do for the job. I do know that he mixed a special chemical(???) into the new gelcoat to give it a hard finish and help cure it. At a later time we re-gel coated the bottom but did not have the special mix. Instead we sprayed it with a chemical called PVA (I think that was right) He said it would give the gel coat a surface to cure under since it cures from the inside out. It washes off with the garden hose and then it could be polished. I am not sure if any of this will help. Your repairs look great from the pics. I good base always helps. Good luck, James

 

[James]

Check this out

Henry - not sure if this will help. This web site describes the rebuilding of a boat and provides all the nitty gritty details and has great photos and descriptions of the work which was done. http://www.triton381.com/- If you have any questions you can e-mail the author - I think he will respond and answer any questions you have.Good luck